1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to flying objects and in particular to substantially flat rigid flying objects adapted for throwing by gripping a peripheral portion thereof with a hand and launching the object through the air.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many flying objects are available that are designed to be thrown by gripping a periphery thereof with a hand and launching the object through the air. Often, such objects are thrown by one person to another person who attempts to catch the object. Other objects are designed for throwing by one person and for catching by the same person. The throwing and catching of such objects is primarily performed for entertainment, but competitive activities have become more popular.
Some such objects are launched by thrusting the object forwards while imparting spin thereon. The objects are aerodynamically shaped so that their speed through the air, combined with the imparted spin, help the objects to fly better and further.
There is a wide variety of such objects. Two of the more popular types include discs and boomerangs. These objects are typically made of rigid materials. Discs are often made of relatively hard plastics, and boomerangs are often made of either wood or plastic.
The discs, boomerangs, and other such objects currently available suffer from several drawbacks. One such drawback is the hardness of the objects. Since these objects are made of relatively hard materials, prolonged use often causes injury to the user. If the objects are thrown at high speed, even one imperfect catch can cause injury to the catcher's hand. Improper catches, however, are not the only source of injury. Even proper catches eventually injure the catcher's hand. Because of the spin and forward velocity of the object, as the catcher catches the object, the hand acts as a brake. Repeated catching of such hard objects can be painful to the catcher's hand. For example, the hands of persons that engage in competitive activity with such objects are often full of cuts and damaged skin.
Also, because these objects are made of relatively rigid and hard materials, gripping the object under certain circumstances is sometimes difficult. For example, a wet or sweaty hand can make the grip on such objects slippery, thus making it harder to throw and catch.
Another drawback of the currently available objects of this type is that they generally do not float. Depending on the type of material used and the shape of the object, some of the currently available objects float, but since they have a very low center of buoyancy, they float with a majority of the object submerged. However, the majority of the objects of this type do not float. Since these objects are often used around or near water, such as at the beach and around swimming pools, their failure to float is a serious inconvenience.
Still further, the popularity of such objects is so great that it is desirable to manufacture very low cost versions of these objects. One of the best ways to reduce the cost of manufacture is to use less material and to use cheaper material. However, by using less and cheaper material, the weight of the object is drastically reduced. The reduced weight translates into worse flight characteristics. Because of the reduced weight, the objects lose stability. The loss of stability makes it harder to correctly throw the object.
One advantage of making the object lighter is that it causes less injury when properly caught. However, as discussed above, this is at the expense of good flight characteristics. Since the lighter object is harder to throw, it is more often misthrown, thus increasing the likelihood of injury during catching.
Thus the need exists for a flying object such as a disc or boomerang that reduces the chance of injury to the user, that is easy to grip, that floats, and that is heavy enough to produce acceptable flight characteristics.